by Laura Freeman

Reporter

Hudson -- "Stuart marches to the tune of a different drummer, but I think he'll be very successful, and I'm just going to sit back and watch," says Brenda Pflaum, who will be watching the Grammy Awards Feb. 10 to see if her son wins one of the prestigious music awards.

Stuart Pflaum, 26, a 2000 Hudson High School graduate, was nominated by the Recording Academy in the Best Rap Song category at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards scheduled to be televised 8 p.m. Feb. 10 on CBS.

Pflaum's company, Element 9 Recordings, published "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by teen hip-hop sensation Soulja Boy. It is nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rap Song category.

"The Grammy is the highest honor you can achieve in this industry," Pflaum said in a phone interview. "At 26, God has blessed me with a great honor, and it's definitely an honor being part of the nomination."

"Crank That (Soulja Boy)" was released in May and spent seven weeks as the No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Pflaum launched the Element 9 Recordings Co. in 2005, which specialized in promotions, marketing and management of rising artists, while pursuing a bachelor's degree in entertainment law and management at Ohio University, where he graduated in 2006.

Pflaum said he started as a disk jockey on college radio stations and in dance clubs and gained knowledge of the industry by working with label representatives, managers and artists.

"I focused on new records of new artists on campus and worked as a booking agent, a manager and promoter for various acts in the area before forming my own company," Pflaum said.

Pflaum said breaking into the music industry isn't easy on any level, but he began learning about social networking during college.

"Everything I did at Ohio University was a great learning experience and helped me develop the skills and background to go to New York and get somewhere," Pflaum said.

Brenda Pflaum said she always thought Stuart would end up doing something in entertainment.

"I thought he would be an actor," Brenda said. "[His father, Marvin, and I] encouraged him to do law, and that's how he structured his major. As time went on, it was obvious he was going to move right into what he was going to do and didn't need another [law] degree to do it."

Pflaum said DJ Tony Franklin of Cleveland was a mentor and helped during his college years and later in New York.

"Tony was the middle man who supplied me with the latest releases from record labels, and we built a great relationship working together," Pflaum said.

Pflaum moved to New York City and contributed to Asylum Records, a division of the Warner Music Group, and in 2007 he began working with NuBlud Management Co. to develop a strong online presence for the company. Online marketing helped to establish and build the career of Soulja Boy.

"It was very beneficial to everyone involved," Pflaum said. "We built Soulja Boy up as independent artists before any record release to give him proper exposure."

Pflaum says to make a profit in the music industry, a company has to stay on top of the latest technology and be connected to everything available to promote an artist.

"It's more about being connected with everything available in order to effectively market online and requires a staff of people watching developments and being on top of trends as well as setting trends to compete," Pflaum said.

Brenda said Stuart's ability to network was key to his success.

"He understood the importance of forming relationships and networking, and he's using that talent to his advantage," Brenda said.

Brenda said her son sends her a lot of hip hop music to listen to and give him feedback on.

"I liked Soulja Boy the first time I heard it," she said. "I thought it was a real different sounding beat. I was a big fan of Outkast, and this kid had an Outkast sound."

Pflaum said hip hop was a part of his life for many years, and he identifies with the struggle hip hop represents.

"It's about overcoming the hurdles life throws at you," Pflaum said.

Pflaum said he has accomplished a lot so far, but the sky is the limit.

"I'd love to bring Element 9 to a grander level where we're able to work with major labels and explore distribution of artist records," Pflaum said.

Pflaum said the nomination has given the company recognition and more people are sending him proposals.

E-mail: lfreeman@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3150